Fly-open knife



June 23, 1931. I R. E. BROWN 1,810,999

FLY'QPEN KNIFE A Filed Nov. 18, 1930 Patented June723, 1931 PATENT OFFICE ROBERT E. BROWN, 015 CLEAN, NEWTYORK.

FLY-OPEN KNIFE Application filed November 18, 1930. Serial No. 496,;84.

. This invention relates to cutlery and more particularly to a pocket knife of the fly-open type wherein the blade is releasably secured in either an opened or a closed position and will be moved outwardly to an opened position when released after being closed.

One object of the invention is to provide improved means for releasably securing the blade having actuating means by means of which the securing means may be moved to a releasing position together with means for preventing accidental movement of the actuating means-to a releasing position. By this arrangement the actuating means for the blade securing meanswill be prevented from .being accidentally moved out of its normal position and. there will be no danger of the blade opening when the knife is in a persons pocket or prematurely moving toward an openedor a closed position when the knife is in use. r j

Another object of the invention is to so construct the actuating element that a lever forming part of the same will be disposed at one side of the knife handle closely adjacent the outer face thereof and its securing means also located at the side of the knife handle close to the lever, thereby permitting the securing device or latch to be moved to a releasing position by pressure applied by a thumb employed to move the lever when the blade is to bereleased. Therefore, the latch and the lever may be easily operated by the thumb of.

one hand and the blade released for opening or closing without using both hands.

- Another object of the invention is to pro-.

ride a fly open knife having releasing means and a latch which are simple in construction and easy to operate and not liable to break or get out of order.

The invention is illustrated in the accom Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the releasing element.

Fig. 6 is aside elevation of a modified form ofknife, and f Fig. 7 is a view taken at right'angles to Fig. 6 showing aportion of the knife in elevation and a portion thereof in section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

The knife has a handle indicated in general by the numeral 1 and a blade 2 having a heel 8 at one end pivotally mounted at one end of the handle between the side walls i thereof by a pin 5. lVhile the knife has been shown with one blade, it will be'understood that as many blades as desired may be provided. A- spring 6 is secured between the side walls 4 by a suitable number of pins 7 and one end portion ofthis spring is left free and formed with a tooth 8 to engage shoulders 9 and 10 formed upon the heel portion of the blade and 7 securely but releasably hold the blade in either a closed or opened position. An auxiliary spring 11 extends longitudinally in the handle with one end firmly-secured in a recess or seat 12 formed in the spring 6 and its other end adapted to be engaged by the heel of the blade when the blade is in the closed position.

curely hold the blade in an open positionuntil the free end portion of the securing spring is moved to a releaslng position. 1 In order to move the securing spring to a- 90,

releasing position, there has been provided a releasing element consisting of a; plate 13 which extends longitudinally of the handle against the inner face of the free end portion of the securing spring near the tooth 8. Pins 14 project fromopposite sides'of one end of i the plate to engage in sockets 15 formed in the sidewalls 4, as shown in Figure 3, thereby'pivotally mounting the releasing element. The lever 16 having a roughenedouter face extends from one side of the plate 13 through an opening 17 formed in one side wall and this lever extends transversely of the side wall in close proximity to the outer face thereof where it will be out of the way and not liable to catch when the knife is placed in a pocket or in use; By applyingpressure against the lever and thrusting it toward the adjacent end of the handle the plate 13 will be swung about the pivot pins 14, therebyforcin g the free end portion of the securing spring 6 outwardly and moving the tooth 8 to a releasing posi tion. Therefore, the blade will be released and may be swung to a'closed position or if it is already closed the expelling spring 11 will act against the heel of the blade and swing the blade outwardly to an opened position.

There is danger of the lever 16catching when thrusting the knife into a pocket or Withdrawing it and'also danger of pressure being accidentally applied to the lever when placing it in a pocket or withdrawing it. This would cause the blade to be released unintentionally with resulting danger of a person being cut, and in order to prevent accidental movement of the lever in 'a. releasing direction, there has been provided a latch consisting of a resilient strip 18 extending longitudinally ofthe side wall of the knife. This strip extends beneath the facing 19 of the side wall for the maj or portion of its length with its inner end riveted or otherwise firmly secured against the side wall. The other end portion of the strip extends longitudinally of the bolster across which the lever 16 extends and has its free end formed with a tooth 20 to engage in a seat 21 formed in the inner face of the lever, as shown in Figure 45. It should be noted that the facing and the bolster are recessed, as shown at 22 in Figure 4, thereby forming a pocket through which the spring strip of the latch extends. By this arrangement the latch is braced against transverse movement but is permitted to be depressed in order to move the tooth 21 out of engagement with the lever and permit the lever to be moved in an operative direction. A button 23 is provided upon the spring strip near its free end so that it may be easily braced,

when the lever is to be released and it should be noted that this button projects outwardly a short distance, as shown in Figure l, and is' located close to the lever so that when a thumb is applied to the button in order to move the latch to a releasing position the thumb will then be in position to engage the lever and swing the lever towards the adjacent end of the handle in order to tilt the plate 13 about the pivot pins 1-1 and move the tooth 8 out of securing engagement with the heel of the blade. By this arrangement the latch and the lever may be both easily operated by the thumb ofthe handle in which the knife is held and the blade may be opened or closed when held in one hand. 1

In Figures 6 and 7, there has been shown a modified construction. In this form of the invention, there has been shown a single blade 24 pivotally mounted in a handle 25 having side walls 26 to which facing strips 27 are applied. These facing strips extend the full length of thehandle and it will be understood that the blade hasits heel'portion constructed the same, as shown in Figure 2, and engaged by a tooth at the free end of a spring corresponding to the spring 6. It will also be understood that an expelling spring, corresponding to the spring 11, is used to move the blade outwardlywhen released. The releasing element is similar in construction to that previously. described and is provided with'a lever 28 dis osed close to theouter face of the side wallof thehandle through which it passes. The facing for the side wall through which the lever passes coversthis le- .ver and h a's'it's' inner face recessedto form a pocket 29 in which the'lever isdis'posed, as shownin Figure 7. There has'also' beenlprovided' a slot 30 whichcoinini'inicates with the pocket 29 and the free end portion of the leverprojects outwardly through thisslot and terminates in a head 31 to lie-engaged by a thumb in order to swing'thelever'towards the adjacent end ofjtjhe handle and release the blade. The lever is resilient and of less thickness than the poclret,"a's shown in Figure 4. Therefore, when pressureis applied'to the head 31, the'le'ver may be forced inwardly toward the side, wall of the handle and a' tooth 32' carried by the lever moved out-o'f a recess or seat 33 into which it normally engages and serves to prevent the lever' froni' being accidentally moved to a releasing position. In this construction the lever serves its own latch instead of. providing a separate" latch. It will be understood that if so desired a knife, such as shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be provided with bolsters covering. end portions of each side wall and a facing between these bolsters in which case the pocket 29 and slot 30 will be formed in tl'ie'bolsterinstead of in the facing. 1

vHavingthus described the invention, I claim: p p

1. A knife comprising a handle defining a pocket openalong one side and having side walls anda:spring' between the sidewalls, a blade pivoted in the pocket and having shoulders engageabl'e by the spring toreIe'asabIy secure the blade in opened and closedpositions, an actuatingelem'entextending longitudinally in said'pocket and pivoted between walls of the handle position to engage the .inner face of said spring, a lever for said actuating element dlsposed transversely of a silient strap extending longitudinally of the wall and having one end firmly secured and its other end free and extending back of said lever and having interlocking engagement with the lever, said strap having a pushbutton projecting outwardly from the side wall whereby the strap may be pressed inwardly to release said lever.

2. A knife comprising a handle defining a pocket open along one side and having side walls and a spring between the side walls extending longitudinally of the pocket with its free end adjacent an end of the pocket, a blade pivoted in the said end of the pocket and having shoulders engageable by the free end of the spring to releasably secure the blade in opened and closed positions, an actuating leaf extending longitudinally in said pocket and having pins at one end engaged in sockets formed in the side walls to pivotally mount the leaf, a lever at one side of said leaf extending through an opening in the adjacent side wall and disposed against the outer face of the side Wall and movable longitudinally thereof to rock said leaf and move the spring out of engagement with a shoulder of said blade to release the blade, and a latch to releasably secure said lever against movement.

3. A. knife comprising a handle defining a pocket open along one side and having side walls and a spring between the side walls extending longitudinally of the pocket with its free end adjacent an end of the pocket, a blade pivoted in the said end of the pocket and having shoulders engageable by the free end of the spring toreleasably' secure the blade in opened and closed positions, an actuating leaf extending longitudinally in said pocket and having pins at one end engaged in sockets formed in the side walls to pivotally mount the leaf, a lever at one side of said leaf extending through an opening in the adjacent side wall and disposed against the outer face of the side wall and movable longitudinally thereof to rock said leaf and move the spring out of engagement with a shoulder of said blade to releasethe blade, and a latch strip extending longitudinally of the wall with one end extending beneath the lever and having a tooth engaging the under face of the lever to releasably secure said lever against movement.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

ROBERT E. BROWN. [L.S.] 

